Michigan has been "berry, berry good" to Jones Soda, one of whose flavors is Fufu Berry. Now the Seattle-based company is trying to return the favor with a special series of Jones products that will bear photos of favorite Michigan images and will even be bottled in embattled Detroit.

When Jones got its start in 1996 in Canada, Michigan quickly became its best market in the US along with the Pacific Northwest. CEO Jennifer Cue isn't quite sure why that happened except that Jones had some particularly strong distributors. But because of it, she told brandchannel, "many people even think Jones is a Michigan-based brand."

In any event, when co-founder Cue returned as CEO of Jones recently, one thing she decided to do to revitalize the brand was to target Michigan once again. She believes the last year has witnessed Jones' turnaround; Jones launched a new "all-natural" line; and its launch of that new line with Fiat in California, around the all-electric Fiat 500e, has created a spark for the brand in that crucial market.Continue reading...

He may not yet make the pantheon of Detroit business innovators that includes Henry Ford and Mike Ilitch of Little Caesars Pizza fame, but local music icon Kid Rock is making his concert tour this summer as much about the economics of the music business as the music itself.

Kid Rock is working with promoter Live Nation Entertainment to price most tickets for his summer concerts at just $20 and make them available for purchase at Walmart. He hopes the good old-fashioned price discount will spur buying and, so far, he told the Wall Street Journal, that is exactly what has happened at his concerts.

Instead of taking a big upfront fee from Live Nation, Kid Rock has shouldered more risk by sharing ticket sales but also should benefit from an unusual arrangement with Live Nation in which he gets a cut of revenue from food, drinks and other "house earnings."Continue reading...

Harley-Davidson is a modern-day symbol of rebellion and anti-authoritarianism. But over the 110 years of its existence, that hasn’t always been true. Thousands of Harleys were sent along with U.S. troops to World War I and World War II, for instance.

But somewhere along the way, in the rise of outlaw motorcycle clubs like the Hells Angels, the Harley picked up a brand of rebelliousness — and over time, the company has milked that for all it's worth.

This year, as the company marks its 110th anniversary, it's partnered up with Kid Rock, whom it calls a “legendary musician and ‘American Badass.” For starters, the brand is serving as the sponsor of Kid Rock’s 60-city Rebel Soul tour, which began over the weekend.Continue reading...

Above, watch the first TV spot for Jim Beam Devil’s Cut – a stronger (90 proof) and higher-priced ($23.99 vs $15.99 for regular Jim Beam) bourbon, which launched last year. It's also just the second television ad in the Jim Beam brand’s history, following last year's "Bold Choices" campaign starring Willem Dafoe.Continue reading...

Above, watch the first TV spot for Jim Beam Devil’s Cut – a stronger (90 proof) and higher-priced ($23.99 vs $15.99 for regular Jim Beam) bourbon, which launched last year. It's also just the second television ad in the Jim Beam brand’s history, following last year's "Bold Choices" campaign starring Willem Dafoe.Continue reading...

Thank you, Mr. President. Once Barack Obama assented to deliver his important economic speech to the nation at 7 p.m. ET today — a not-so-politically convenient 4 p.m. on the West Coast — instead of later, the National Football League was pretty much free to pursue its further remake of opening day into a sort of mini-Super Bowl. And right up until game time at about 8:30 this evening, the league, NBC, the Green Bay Packers, the New Orleans Saints, big brand marketers and Belgioso Cheese are making the most of it.

The Today Show kicked things off this morning by hosting part of the proceedings from Green Bay's Lambeau Field, where the Super Bowl Champion Packers, the previous Super Bowl Champion Saints — and the hopes and dreams of dozens of major brand marketers — will launch the season. "Growing up and watching the NFL ... and John Facenda talking about the 'Frozen Tundra' of Lambeau Field ... this is fantastic!" exclaimed Today's Al Roker.Continue reading...